Ed Klein Suggests Obama’s A Muslim Then Admits To Having Used Dishonest Tactics In Rev. Wright Interview

During Night Two of Sean Hannity’s suck up interview with discreditedauthor Ed Klein, Hannity continued his uncritical fascination with Klein’s questionable revelations about President Obama in his latest book. In Part 2 of last night’s go-round, Hannity once again fixated on Rev. Jeremiah Wright. But this time, Hannity used Klein’s lengthy interview with Wright to draw Klein into suggesting President Obama is or was a Muslim – and then pretended otherwise – despite dropping his own little Obama-as-Muslim hints. The only real challenge Hannity presented to Klein was to ask why he had spoken ill of Hannity during the interview with Wright. Curiously, Klein “explained” that away by saying he had deliberately misrepresented his views in order to dupe Wright into confiding in him. So there was an author – whose credibility was already dubious - admitting on prime time television that he used dishonest tactics in his big interview. And Hannity didn’t even seem to care.

Just like “not abirther” Hannity made sure to highlight birtherism when he could, Hannity now made innuendos about Obama’s faith – and then insisted he wasn’t saying Obama’s a Muslim. It just so happens that Klein had already suggested earlier that day on right-winger Dana Loesch's radio show that Obama’s a secret Muslim. Don’t tell me Hannity was not aware of that. He said to Klein, “He (Obama) did also talk in one of his books about, you know, how he did study the Koran, and, and etc. and that prayer at sunset was one of the most beautiful things in the world – but when he was a kid. And you asked Wright if he thought that Barack Obama at some point was a Muslim. And this is the answer Rev. Wright gave.”

Hannity played a clip of Wright unequivocally saying not so. However, he added that he was sure Obama “got some grief” from “that part of his family” that are Muslims.

But apparently, Hannity had the wrong clip. When he asked Klein what he thought of the one just aired, Klein answered that he was “very interested in another part.” Klein continued, “When I asked the Rev. Wright about this whole question of Islam and Christianity, he said, ‘Well, you know, Barack Obama was steeped in Islam. He knew a lot about Islam from his childhood. But he knew very little about Christianity. And I made it easy for him to feel not guilty about learning about Christianity without turning his back on his Islamic friends.’”

“What does that mean?” Hannity asked.

Klein answered, “So then I said to him (Wright), ‘Well, did you convert him? …He said, ‘It’s hard to tell.’”

Hannity instantly forgot the clip he had just played in favor of swallowing this new, second-hand tidbit from Klein. “Interesting,” Hannity said. “You know, because anyone that ever, you know, brought up the fact – ‘cause he did say in his book that he studied the Koran. OK, he studied the Koran. He didn’t say he was a Muslim. He did say that prayer at sunset was beautiful. Doesn’t say he’s a Muslim. But if you bring it up… ‘Oh, the right wing is trying to say,’ – you know.”

Finally, as the interview wound down, Hannity asked his last question: “You do pander, throughout this interview to Rev. Wright. You suck up to him big time. And I didn’t know if you meant it.” Hannity also noted that Klein attacked him in the recordings of the interview. He played a clip of Klein saying to Wright:

The right-wing crazies, like O’Reilly and Hannity, Glenn Beck, I can name a thousand of them, accuse Barack Obama of quote – I’m just quoting them now – of having quote sat in the Trinity United Church for 20 years listening to the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and how could he have done that without being quote infected with - and I’m quoting now, ‘cause I don’t believe this, I want you to understand that – with his, the reverend’s anti-American, anti-Semitic… anti-white, um, point of view.

Klein now explained to Hannity, “The story with that is to get from the Rev. Wright what I needed to get from him, I felt I needed to win over his confidence. And in doing so, I think I went too far, quite frankly. But it worked.”

Well, Ed, I’m sure Hannity would agree with me that – in the words of Rev. Wright - it’s “hard to tell” if you were being truthful now or not. In previous interviews, Hannity was more skeptical of Klein’s integrity and credibility. And Klein responded by lampooning Hannity in a novel.

But whether he went "too far" or not, it was clear that Klein was perfectly willing to lie and misrepresent himself for the sake of an interview. What's he willing to do for the sake of promoting a political agenda or selling a book?

Since we all know the Faux “researchers” read NewsHounds, I have a challenge for you: If the rightwingers are so convinced that Obama is a Muslim, prove it. Show us un photoshopped pictures of him on a prayer rug, facing Mecca, speaking in Arabic.

So there was an author â whose credibility was already dubious – admitting on prime time television that he used dishonest tactics in his big interview. And Hannity didnât even seem to care.

Oh, please — when you count as one of your friends a white supremacist currently doing time for threatening 3 Appeals Court judges, an author with dubious credibility is like a pet goldfish by comparison . . .